Cambodia Discovery

5 Reviews

Excellent

75%

Good

25%

Average

0%

Rather Poor

0%

Bad

0%

• 

  Chrissy
  Written on December 18, 2017

  5.0 - Excellent

  Just got back from this tour and am already looking to go back to Cambodia! This tour is a nice blend of cities, the countryside, and the beach. You really get to experience the country from a local’s point of view. My biggest concern was the complicated border crossings, and our tour leader, Long, managed the crossings and visa paperwork seamlessly! I opted in for each optional activity and couldn’t be happier. Our tour leader provided previous travelers feedback for the options and always recommended the best activities along with the best FOOD at restaurants. It was a small group and it felt more like we were travelling with a local friend through the country rather than simply as passengers on a tour. Excellent Tour!

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• VB

  Vivian
  Written on September 30, 2017

  4.0 - Good

  Wonderful Tour. First time with Intrepid but certainly not the last. Had a great time & learnt alot. Highly recommend.

  

  Intrepid Travel commented on this review

  Hi Vivian, thank you so much for sharing your experience (and your photo!) with us. Receiving feedback from our passengers is great as it helps us to know where were meeting or hopefully exceeding expectations. We always share positive comments like these with our entire global team and you can be sure that they are very much appreciated. We’re delighted you enjoyed your first time travelling with us – where to next? :) Kind regards, Intrepid

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• 

  Anonymous
  Written on February 13, 2015

  5.0 - Excellent

  When I was trekking in Cambodia the experiences we encountered were far from the norm. We were staying with our Cambodian ‘family’ in their village hut, built on stilts to combat the annual floods from the Mekong river which brought rich and fertile silt to the normally dry and arid land, and which allowed the family to grow an abundance of crops. The meals we were offered delighted our palates – from the lemongrass and ginger tea to the tarantula wine which consisted of 30 live tarantulas dropped into the bottle of potent rice wine, squirting their venom into the strong liquid, suspended there as specimens are in formaldehyde, awaiting the adventurous to drink the wine and eat the soft and soggy arachnoids. Tuk tuks and cycles were our main mode of transport and we scoured the villages on dusty windy roads, often late into the evening as the distances were long and the destination was deep in the Cambodian jungle. The occasional local bus saw us travelling in crowded transport with an assortment of baggage and belongings. The rear door of the local transport was often ajar to accommodate the extra passengers and their luggage and the odd motorbike which was tied precariously on the back. The local buses stopped frequently to crowd more passengers on and for us to scour the side of the road stalls for snacks. Common offerings were fried frogs, skinned, whole quail, silk worm, skewered sea snake, assorted seafood, including stingray, boiled chicken embryo with yolk placenta still attached, small or large cockroaches and of course, the salted fried tarantula. On bikes from the French occupation of Cambodia, gearless, front baskets and wide seats, we traversed the village roads in search of ancient Buddhist temples in which to seek the blessing of the Buddha. We met the orange clad Buddhist monks teaching the village children English in the shadows of the stilts of the house, the attentiveness of the children in deep contrast to the educational experience back home. The children of these villages will forever hold in their memory the joy experienced from the communal songs and dances which they were taught by us and which they enjoyed so much. A village of note, separate from mainland Cambodia, was reached only by a bamboo bridge which needs to be rebuilt annually as the floods destroy in their rush down the Mekong River. The bridge meanders its way across the river and the journey across is fraught with danger as travellers pass one another on the narrow causeway which has no protection from the elements or the sheer drop into the river. Animals clip clop along the bridge pulling handmade carts, towing the timber of the jackfruit tree, necessitating the travellers on the bikes stand stationary for fear of toppling into the ranging torrent beneath. We trekked the long and arduous journey, deep into the jungle and high in altitude, to feel the spray of one of Cambodia’s magnificent waterfalls. The roar of the flooding water as it cascaded over the rocks, alerted us to the proximity of the falls amid the tangle of vines and trees. We crossed small, roughly made bridges cautiously, in single file for safety, and the view that greeted us as we rounded the final bend was a reward after the difficult climb to the top. Our local guide was cautious, demanding we follow exactly in his footsteps for safety - the photo of one of Cambodia’s deadly forest dwellers on his phone attested to the necessity of the precautions he was making. The uphill climb nearly defeated some of us, but the camaraderie of the group and the support given to those finding this trek difficult, encouraged everyone to finish the journey. Despite the coolness of the water and the depth of the flow, we were all in anticipation of dipping our heated bodies underneath the clear Cambodian waters. A reward for the difficult trek. Battles with gibbons and monkeys are not something for the light-hearted, but whilst trekking in Cambodia it is par for the course. The monkey has been known to lure the unsuspecting trekker to approach it offering banana, and when the trap has been set and the hand holding the food source has been extended, the deceptive monkey bares its ugly teeth and snatches the banana greedily from then proffered hand, gorging itself within seconds and chasing the frightened trekker in an effort to overpower them and get more food. The innocence shown on first meeting is just a cover to hide the killer that lurks within and to come out unscathed after this terrifying encounter, resulted in all of us bowing to thank Buddha. Following our meeting on the ground with the forest dwellers of Cambodia we found that by hauling oneself up through the trees on vines that felt like steel allowed us to meet the famous gibbons of Cambodia. Leaving our warm beds at 4am to begin the trek through the jungle and climbing the tall trees in search of gibbon territory was daunting, yet exhilarating. The vines held us as safely as vines do and we soared through the treetops in search of the famous, but rare (in these parts), gibbon. Not far from gibbon territory we discovered ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples that glowed golden in the early morning sunrise, but offered us solace in the sweltering heat of the midday sun. The inscriptions and on the walls told stories of ancient battles that culminated in the death of many, but also of celebrations after the battles that included dancing women with perfectly sculptured breasts that were considered lucky to caress and nurture, provocatively playing monkeys and parading elephants. The jungle had enveloped many of the ancient temples and had grown in such a way that they were now combined and the delineation between temple and tree could not be defined. Trees devoured other trees in their haste to grow beyond the darkness and steaminess of the jungle floor to reach the brilliant sun above and used the buildings as stepping stones to reach beyond. We were invited by the local Buddhist monks and nuns to tread on their secret paths that crisscross the ruins of the temples and allow the monks to suddenly appear as if by magic at an alternate location to where they had first stood. We were privileged to participate in the hallowed water ceremony of the Buddhist where, dressed in the traditional clothing of the community, we were doused with freezing cold water, to cleanse us and keep us safe on our journey. Pure spring water was collected and poured directly from above as we sat silently in the awe of the moment. Each of us in turn succumbed to one of the many diseases of the jungle. With the swift intervention of medicinal concoctions that we were offered and so desperately swallowed, we recovered, but many days were spent writhing in agony as our bellies gurgled and our temperatures soared. Our aching limbs were pounded and manipulated to relieve pressure, and soaked in oily mixtures of leaves and flowers from exotic plants in an effort to take away our throbbing agony. The faeces strewn floors of the accommodation eat which we were sometimes forced to stay, and even sometimes forced to sleep, did nothing to help with this problem, but there was often little we could do to improve our situation. The strength of our intrepid group to overcome the challenges of the trek was found in the support and camaraderie of newly found friendships, and in one case, a marriage of sorts. We shared our woes and our highs with one another which allowed us to survive this arduous journey through the wilds of Cambodia, although I cannot say unscathed. The deep scars remain on our bodies to remind us of our encounters with near death experiences. Trekking with the right crew is the make or break of the 12 day experience and our group was an eclectic group of individuals from various countries. Our intrepid Intrepid guide led us up hill and down dale, along beaches, across rivers, on dirt tracks and bitumen highways, and he kept us safe for our arrival in Bangkok. His cupped crocodile skin appeared strange to us at first glance, but we grew accustom to his appearance and even laughed at his jokes from time to time. He kept us safe, taught us much about Cambodia and its history and introduced us to his beautiful family.

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• 

  Brooke
  Written on December 18, 2011

  4.5 - Excellent

  This was my first time traveling overseas and I am so glad i chose to do it with Intrepid. Sareth, our guide, was amazing! It helped so much having a local person showing us around and recommending this to see/eat/do that we would normal not have thought of doing. It never felt like he was a guide but one of us fitting in with jokes and support when needed, specially when i lost my wallet Sareth was really there for me and it made me feel more secure knowing that he was there with me to help. Using Intrepid helped eliminating the stress and anxiety i first had, being my first trip, and made my trip that much more enjoyable. I don't think I would have been able to go through all the public transportation by myself or try the weird and wonderful food that Cambodia has to offer. It made the trip so much more spectacular seeing the REAL cambodia though a Cambodians eye. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants too see Cambodia "outside the box" and I will be using Intrepid my for future traveling.

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• A

  Anonymous
  Written on November 29, 2010

  4.0 - Good

  An amazing trip through Cambodia, with a great tour guide and group